A tent typically comprises a frame and a flexible sheet supported by the frame to provide at least a partial enclosure. The frame typically includes tent poles, and each of the tent poles may include a plurality of pole sections. To erect the tent, the tent pole sections are coupled together in end to end relationship, and in the process of taking the tent down, the tent pole sections are disconnected.
In one common tent pole fastening system, each of the pole sections includes an elongated member or rod and a ferrule attached to one end of the elongated member. The ferrule provides an axially opening cavity which receives and frictionally retains an end portion of an adjacent pole section. This fastening system is not completely satisfactory because, for example, the frictional force of the ferrule on the adjacent pole section may be too tight thereby making assembly and disassembly of the pole sections difficult or too loose in which event the pole sections may separate during erection of the tent. In addition, when disassembled, the pole sections are not interconnected and are easily lost.
To address these problems, it is known to use a shock cord fastening system for the pole sections. This shock cord system, which is described more completely hereinbelow in connection with prior art FIG. 1, employs pole sections which have an axial passage running completely through each of the pole sections. An elongated resilient cord extends through the passages of each of the pole sections of each tent pole to resiliently retain the pole sections together. With this construction, when one end portion of a pole section is telescopically received in the cavity formed by the ferrule of the adjacent pole section, the resilient member resiliently retains these pole sections in this relationship. The resilient member is sufficiently flexible so that when these end portions are not in relationship, the resilient member can be folded to allow the first and second pole sections to be in side by side relationship.
One drawback of the shock cord system is that it requires that each of the pole sections have an axial passage extending completely through it. Consequently, the shock cord system cannot be used for pole sections which are solid, i.e. those which are devoid of a passage extending axially completely through the pole section. In addition, some tent poles have a cross section which is too small to allow the formation of an axial passage of sufficient size to accommodate the resilient cord consequently, the application of the shock cord system is limited.